He nodded. "very happy couple. i should call them. i haven't talked to them since they agreed to record this. funny thing though is that i never saw any of the ghosts there. this eppisode should be interesting."

Eva nodded, her mouth full with toast and soup. She stared at the tv curiously, wondering if the ghosts were recent or fake. "Ths stff ss gud!" she said, taking a few more big bites.

He chuckled softly. "i'm glad you like it." he was intent more on the tv than anything.

Eva looked at him for a moment, then set her almost empty bowl on the coffee table looking at her own hair. She wondered for a few moments if she could curl it like that... or if he'd like it as much on her. She couldn't look exactly like Miss Jessibella, but maybe she could try...

She shook her head, wondering at herself. He was here, right? Sure they hadn't claimed any romantic interest, but she couldn't give up and try to be someone else now, right? He'd seen more of her than most would ever see and was still there... he didn't seem to mind her odd quirks and temper changes as much as everyone else.... maybe... just maybe... he really was different?

Andrew picked up his feet to cross his legs, watching more intently as the investigation began. nothing seemed to be happening quite yet but he'd seen some strange things on there. it was nice for him to not know and pretend to be a normal person.

"The previews for this episode looked really good. there's some really crazy shit that happens."

Eva finished off her bowl and set it down, watching the tv with him. Sure, it was an interesting show, but she had too many thoughts running around her head to really be able to pay attention. Why could she see the boy when she couldn't see the others? Did this mean that she would be able to see the others at some point? Or was it a tease that made her want to know more but would leave her feeling like an idiot again in the end? What about Andrew? Why did he seem so disinterested? And she didn't like that he was hiding things, but they'd only known each other for less than a day, so asking him everything was just out of the question. And besides... why did she want to know? Knowing nothing would make it hurt less when he finally left her, right? She wasn't sure what made him stay this long... or what made her so open to him. Maybe it was the fact that in a very short time, he'd changed her life. She'd been getting ready to grow into an old maid and die alone.... but now that she had to chance to attach... one more chance... she didn't want to let it go...

Before she knew it, her eyes had slid shut and she was softly breathing, chin drooped against her chest and cozy robe wrapped comfortably around her.

Andrew noticed the motion and was unsure what to do. she needed sleep that was for sure but he didn't want to leave her alone and he didn't feel right sitting there watching tv with her asleep like that. and then he worried. Had she fallen asleep or had she passed out. he shook her gently. "hey. do you want to go to bed?"

Her eyes popped open again and she jerked in surprise. "Ah..?" her hands automatically moved to his and her mouth dropped open. "Ah... er..." she shook her head, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to fall asleep... um... I..." She couldn't think of anything to say. He was too bloody close!! His eyes were so pretty from this close up and his lips glistened slightly from him licking the food from them. His natural red hair was starting to grow out past his scalp too... All in all, he was a hot mess, but an attractive hot mess.

He backed up quickly. "i'm sorry... just didn't feel right leaving you there like that. and i didn't want to leave you alone and i was afraid to take you back up to your room and i didn't want to just claim a room and sta..." his eyes were half paying attention to the screne as he suddenly caught something.

They stood in the center of the room and she turned to face him.

“If the Spirit of the stable keeper is in the house. Please try to communicate with us.”

Antony stepped closer as he spoke.

“If you cannot make a noise or speak, you may use my body to communicate.”

After a moment of silence, Antony began preparing his body and getting his bearings.

He closed his eyes and let his muscles relax, mustering his best memory of how a man spoke in this country.

The biggest problem with doing an American show and being supposedly possessed was being able to drop his accent at a moment’s notice.

“Antony?”

Hearing her voice jarred him from his thoughts and he began.

“No. That’s not my name.”

She shivered as she listened to him.

She was almost always sure he was a fake, but then he managed to pull off so many different voices and this was defiantly not his own.

Sometimes she caught herself really wondering if he was for real or not.

“What is your name? Whom am I speaking with?”

Antony was silent for a moment.

No one had been given the name of the stable keeper and most of the sir names he could come up with were not likely to be believable.

“Jeremy. Marina you know me.”

She took a step back but he took her arm.

“I haven’t seen you in so long my love, where did you go?”

Without warning he forcefully took her by the waist and kissed her softly, then gently whispered to her.

“I love you.”

She stood perfectly still for a moment, wondering what to do until she realized he still had a hold of her.

She pulled herself free and began to back towards the door.

"Di-did he just kiss her?!"

Eva's eyes widened for a moment and she looked at the tv. Then she began to laugh. She laughed until her eyes watered from the pain she was causing herself, he hips still aching terrifyingly. But still she laughed. She couldn't tell if she was laughing more at him for being the typical male with a crush, his attention always moving to the object of his heart's attentions, or more at herself because she'd actually hoped....

He laughed nervously too. for such a handsome man, and as much of a playboy as he really was, he was also still the shy 18 year old at heart the night that his innocence was stollen from him.

he back away rather quickly and sat down on the opposite side of the couch, feeling conflicted. he wan't to run the hell away but at the same time...he wanted to stay.

"Listen...let me call my friends tomorrow and maybe they can take us on a tour of the house. it might be interesting you know?"

Eva slowly stopped her laughing, using her sleeve to rub the tears from her face. "I-if my hips stop hurtng, sure," she said, "but..." she blushed, almost unnoticeably since her cheeks were already so red from laughing, "please don't mention to anyone that I'm stuck here because of my hips. I may not know anyone, but I'd rather have no reputation than a bad one." She ducked her head slightly.

He shook his head. "why on earth would i tell anyone?! no way!"

he looked away. "um...if you want me to go so you can go to sleep i'll head out."

She looked at the doorway and thought about it for a few moments. "Um..." she blushed, "if it's not too much trouble, could you help me get up to my room?" Her head drooped slightly again.

He nodded. "sure. i'll come back in the morning" he lifted her gently from the couch trying not to split her stitches and carried her up the stairs, setting her on her bed. he then set his cell phone next to her on the nightstand. "if you wake up before me just upen it, press one, and send. it'll call the house. so i'll be right next door if you need me. don't try to get out of bed by yourself k?"

She gave him an almost painful smile and a nod. "Alright," she said, "thanks so much." She grabbed one of her pillows and leaned on it. "Good night, Andrew."

He smiled softly. "good night. sleep well." he went to her door and glanced back at her as he flipped the light off. this was something he'd done for his sister almost every night for 18 and a half years.

Eva watched him go and pressed her face into her pillow once the light was off. What was she thinking!? Was she completely insane!? She'd only met him the day before and already she didn't want him to leave! Perhaps she really did take after her mother. She was falling far too easily for someone she just didn't know. She sobbed into her pillow as silently as possible, not wanting to be heard by Mal or Akane or Colin. She didn't now if they actually slept or no, but she didn't want to be seen like this.

~*~*~
The Next Morning
~*~*~

Eva slowly opened her eyes to the light of the early sun. The day before had been a very short one, as opposed to the day before that. She sat up slightly, wincing much less than she had been before. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and listening. From the total silence, there was nobody there. She pulled open her robe and checked her hips, almost gasping in surprise. The wounds were almost completely healed. She poked lightly and one of the stitches popped off as though it had simply been stuck to the topmost layer of skin. But that was impossible, wasn't it? She looked at the clock. It was still pretty early and she wanted a bath. She grabbed Andrew's cell phone and stood slowly, feeling overly energized despite the fact that her brain was telling her to keep it cool. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt herself again. She'd call Andrew after her bath.

Andrew lay quietly in his bed streached out on his stomach. his fell worked near chizzled body was completely nude under the thin sheet and he stared wearily at the painting on the wall across from him. Tornhart manner...it'd been so many years since he was there last that he wondered if going back was a good idea. but he had made the closest friends he had in this world in that place. just because he had gone astray didn't mean they'd not ever want to see him again right?

he waited anxiously for the phone to ring. he didn't know why, but he was drawn to her. in his twenty eight years alive he'd never felt so drawn in completely to anyone. he loved her as a sister but more than that as well. he afraid to hurt her. it was the first time he'd ever felt a need to protect someone other than himself. the level on which he loved her was stuck between friend and date and he was for the first time also, afraid to move into date so quickly. other girls were easy. he'd have had her in bed before now. but she was quite different and he liked that about her.

he'd been so caught up in pleasure and fun for the last ten years that he'd fogotten what it was like to be in a real relationship. most girls these days lasted a week at best. also to Eva's credit was that she didn't automatically run when he'd said he was a satanist. the other girls were all party and play until they found out his religion and then magically they were perfect saints and he was just too hard core for them to deal with.

he turned to his back now staring at the cieling. he hadn't actually slept that night. he'd gone home, watched the rest of the show, and scowered every inch of the house but still he was not tired. what was this girl doing to him? next thing he knew he'd be off to church on sundays...and that was a frightening thought to him. he'd had little to no experience with angels since his up and left. granted he was possessed and that he was sure would send most humans packing, but he felt betrayed. he'd never asked his gardian to leave. that's why he felt so much of a connection with his demon prince. he sighed softly and closed his eyes again, trying with desperation to fall asleep.

Eva sat in her bath, her hair tied into a bun on the top of her head. The house was so quiet. There was no noise from the street, unlike her little apartment. The sun shone in brightly from the window high on the wall, barely even the noise of the birds chirping getting through to her. She guessed that there was a nest or something up there, but smiled at their tune, emulating it with a soft hum. She winced at the sound as it reverberated off of the tile around her. She hadn't sung in so long... the voice that had grown with her was almost completely foreign to her. But Andrew said that she sang well... even seemed surprised at it. Maybe if she got better then she could keep catching his attention. Forget changing into someone else to get the guy, she was going to bring back the things she used to love to attract him. He'd shown her that her angel was still there, maybe she could make him forget that his was gone?

She sang soft and low, pulling herself from the tub where the water had chilled. She grabbed one of the towels and wrapped it around herself tightly, then grabbed the phone, spotting the time and thinking that it might be okay to call then. She dialed and waited as it rang.

Andrew jolted out of his thougts as he heard the phone and darted without thinking to it. "Hello?"

He suddenly heard a whistle from behind him and turned, eyes wide to see Akane with a huge grin. "nice package there Andrew..."

Eva smiled as she heard his voice. "Good morning," she said, "I hope you slept well." She walked around her room, searching for something to wear.

He glaired at Akane and flipped him off before turning a very toned cheek to the demon. "as well as always. how about you?" he didn't bother, not realizing he was right in front of a window...

Eva smiled. "I'm pretty sure I passed out right after you left," she said, "I'm not sure why I was so tired, but I slept the whole rest of the day and night." She turned and heard kids playing. Were there actually kids in this neighborhood? She peeked through the blinds and spotted them riding up the road on bikes. Then she noticed that Andrew's house was right out her bedroom window. She paused. Was that Andrew in the window? "I see---" she paused again and realized what she was looking at. She let go of the blinds with a gasp. "A-Andrew!!! Put some pants on!!!"

He turned to the window in surprise and hung up the phone quickly, dashing to his room. Akane chuckled as Andrew managed to run straight through him. He then moved into the window himself, looking out across at Eva with a wide grin. "nice package in deed."

Andrew threw on the first thing he came to in his closet, a pair of tight black leather pants and an equilly tight black tank top. bashfully he slinked past Akane and back to the phone, redialing the number.